November 30, 2019
Proteco Oils in Kingaroy will be adding as many as 26 jobs to its local workforce, thanks to a $730,000 investment in new technology.
Half the funds – $364,950 – will come through a grant from the State Government’s Made in Queensland program, and Proteco will make up the balance.
The investment will help introduce new technology to the firm’s cold-pressed oil production line.
CEO Josh Gadischke told southburnett.com.au Proteco is currently in the process of installing new European technology into its existing production line, a process expected to take several months.
Once installed, the state-of-the-art equipment will allow Proteco to increase production, improve energy efficiency and enhance safety.
Josh said Proteco become aware of new developments in cold-pressed oil production technology through industry contacts earlier this year.
The discovery led the company to apply to Made In Queensland, a State Government program that helps small to medium manufacturers increase their international competitiveness through the adoption of new technologies.
Josh said the grant will enable Proteco to take advantage of the new technology much faster.
And the pay-off for the State Government is the grant has allowed Proteco to add 10 new staff in the past six months, a figure it expects will increase to 26 once the new systems are fully operational.
Josh said installation of the new equipment required careful planning because it would need to be integrated into existing processes.
He expected the job would take “at least a few months” to complete.
When fully installed, the new technology will be the first of its type in Australia.
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Well done Josh. That’s risk taking that we’re sure will pay off. Jocelyn and Peter